Do dogs develop their owners' personalities?
We asked our resident dog dad if his pooches were anything like him to corroborate new research about dogs and their owners.
When we think about pets, the first pet family that comes to mind is Rory Petzer's family.
He is the king of Dog Dads, and pet parenting comes naturally to him. So, we asked him for his opinion when we learnt about the research study that revealed that dogs and their owners develop similar personalities.
We have two very different dogs. Pongo is a wire-haired terrier and a Rottweiler named Benson. While I wouldn’t say their personalities necessarily mirror ours, they’ve grown to enjoy the same things we do.
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We've heard about the study that said that dogs and their owners look alike, and now a "paper published in the Journal of Research in Personality says a dog’s personality reflects the personality of its owner. It also explains that dogs experience personality changes like humans do throughout their lives." (Working Dog Magazine)
Interestingly enough, we noticed this in Rory's experience when he said that his dogs enjoy the same experiences as they do.
The paper revealed that dogs' personalities are ever-changing and are not 'set in stone'. Their personalities are influenced by their lifestyle and experiences. What's even more interesting is that pet owners are said to pick dogs that match their personalities.
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"Just like humans, dogs vary in their personalities. And they can change over time. The dog you take home from the shelter isn’t the same dog you’ll have ten years from now,” said William Chopik, a psychology researcher and lead author." (Working Dog Magazine)
It is amazing to hear the study's findings because they reinforce what we already know about man's best friend: Dogs are complex in nature, and their bonds with their families differ but are truly unique.
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